Tornadoes in Southern California? Apparently, anything is possible during this increasingly bizarre stretch of weather.
The National Weather Service is investigating whether a tornado touched down at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course in Orange County following powerful thunderstorms that swept through the region.
According to NBC Los Angeles, forecasters received a report around noon Thursday, October 22, suggesting that a tree had been damaged by a possible tornado.
The NWS dispatched a survey team to investigate, although the exact timing of the reported damage remains unclear.
And here’s the interesting part: meteorologists had already warned that conditions were favorable for a rare Southern California twister.
On Wednesday, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center cautioned that “isolated severe gusts and perhaps a tornado” could occur along the Central and Southern California coastline.
Later that afternoon, the NWS San Diego office tracked a powerful thunderstorm approximately 11 miles south of San Clemente, moving northeast at 30 mph.
The agency warned of “wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph,” adding that gusty conditions could “knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.”
Meanwhile, NOAA meteorologists identified another band of storms moving toward the coastline with enough atmospheric rotation to produce a weak tornado.
“Convection approaching the coast may pose a brief threat of a weak tornado and damaging wind gust,” the Storm Prediction Center stated.
The unusual weather resulted from a strong upper-level low-pressure system interacting with moisture flowing into California from the Pacific.
Related: More Gigantic Kelvin Waves Are Coming to California During Super El Niño
Although tornadoes are uncommon in Southern California, they’re not unheard of. Approximately a dozen, generally weak tornadoes are reported statewide annually, according to NBC Los Angeles.
In December 2025, for example, a weak tornado struck Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, damaging buildings and surprising residents.
The latest storm also brought heavy rainfall, flooding concerns, dangerous coastal conditions, and the possibility of waterspouts offshore.
For San Clemente, the big question now is whether the damaged tree was the result of rotating tornado winds or a powerful thunderstorm gust.
Until the NWS completes its investigation, the suspected touchdown remains unconfirmed.
But amid a fall already marked by enormous surf, coastal erosion, and extreme weather, a possible tornado would be another “not on my bingo card” event.
Related: Watch: Seawall Collapses at Iconic SoCal Hotel Amid Massive Surf
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